


But It Was His Sweater

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluffyness, Late Nights, M/M, Over Sized Sweaters, Prompt Fill, Secret Relationship, lonely!louis, pining!Nick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-09
Updated: 2013-11-09
Packaged: 2017-12-31 22:31:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1037125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For this prompt:<br/>Louis and Harry has drifted apart ever since harry moved in with his current girlfriend/boyfriend. Lou doesn't have time for a personal in between his carrier and wants to find a steady relationship. One day all the boys are at radio 1 for a interview and Nick notices Lou strange behavior; romance ensures. I want nick and lou to eventually move in together and the boys not knowing and one day Lou just randomly shows up in nicks sweater and no one knows except harry notices. x</p>
            </blockquote>





	But It Was His Sweater

**Author's Note:**

> From my tumblr

The thing is; Louis is very happy for them. Really he is. Sure Harry and Louis used to have a thing back in the X Factor house, but ever since the first tour it’s been all about Niall. Niall is so cute. Niall is adorable. Niall is a sexy mother fucker. Harry is smitten.

Louis is not jealous. He really isn’t. This is not a story of pining after his best friend who is with someone else. This is a story of loneliness and an empty house. A house Louis and Harry used to share, but not anymore.

Harry moved in with Niall a couple months ago, leaving Louis with their apartment. This was fine, really. Louis loved watching Harry fall for their sweet Irishmen, but at the same time he was so alone now. They simply weren’t close anymore.

Louis had gone out a few times though. Just a couple of failed dates and douchebags that wanted to fuck him then dump him. Louis wanted more than that; he wanted what Harry had. Someone he could wake up next to each day and not worry about them leaving in the middle of the night. Someone whose hand he could hold when they went on lame dates to dinner and a movie. Someone who knew him like the back of their own hand.

He doesn’t have time for any of that dating and sleeping around stuff. Louis wanted someone who could understand that he had to be away a lot, but they would be waiting for him back home. He wanted something steady.

The band had been on a well-deserved break after their second tour and Harry spent almost the whole thing with Niall. He texted Louis a few times but really they didn’t communicate.

Thankfully they would have to see each other Friday morning for their Radio 1 interview, an event that Louis was both excited for and dreading. He was excited because he would see his boys again, including Harry, and dreading because this interview was with Nick Grimshaw.

Grimmy was, well, he was a dick. Louis likes to think he is part of the reason he and Harry weren’t close anymore. After all, Harry started hanging out with Nick about the same time he started dating Niall, making him just another person that took time away from Louis. And it wasn’t even just that Nick was taking his friend. He was also obnoxious in the worst sort of way and sometimes it seemed he liked to counter everything Louis said just to spite him.

And then there was the fact that he was a huge hipster snob. Everything Louis heard come out of his mouth was pretentious shit about bands Louis had never even heard of. Harry loved it. The other boys even loved it. Louis was the only sane one who saw right through Grimmy’s big words and snobbish clothes. Every time they were put in the same room it was nothing but snappy remarks and rolling eyes and a stupid smirk plastered on Grimmy’s face.

Oh well. Louis would manage.

~ ~ ~

Just so we are clear, Harry and Niall are not ignoring Louis. They aren’t. But they are so obsessed with kissing each other and whispering things in each other’s ears that they aren’t exactly socializing with him either.

At least they aren’t paying attention Liam or Zayn too.

Nick isn’t helping. He keeps asking them questions about their relationship and also Zayn and Perrie and ‘Oh Liam are you and Dani back together yet?’. Louis isn’t really getting any action in this.

So he starts messing with his nails and looking at his phone and not at all paying attention to their interview. He did look up at Grimmy a couple of times and he smiled at the not-so-well-hidden look of jealousy in his eyes whenever Harry and Niall did anything together.

Louis was pretty sure Grimmy had a crush on Harry. The whole fucking world was pretty sure he did. And right now that was all Louis could see. Of course during all this thinking about Grimmy and his obvious distress over Harry (and certainly _not_ how soft his hair looked) made him miss the first question to be directed at him.

“Louis?” Zayn waved his hand in front of Louis fluttering eyes.

He looked at the expectant faces around him and shrugged. “Sorry, what was the question?”

Grimmy smirked at him. “Welcome back to earth princess,” Louis hated it when Grimmy called him that and everybody knew it. “I just asked if there was anyone special in your life. Seems like you’re the only non-coupled up one in the room.”

Louis knew Grimmy was just trying to get on his nerves. It was certainly working, but he would never let anyone know that. So he put on his best fake-sweet smile and answered. “Haven’t found anyone worth my time yet. But of course my breakfast show friends will be the first to know when I do.”

Something flashed in Grimmy’s eyes that Louis couldn’t quite pick out. Something sort of like concern and a little bit of hopefulness, but it left quickly and soon they were finishing up the interview.

When it was over, Grimmy invited them all out to a party that night at some club Louis had no interest in. Sadly Liam looked right at Louis when he said no, with a look of _Lewis you are going to go out and be social or so help me I will drag you out the door myself._ So Louis regretfully said yes, and once again Grimmy’s eyes flashed with that unfamiliar emotion.

~ ~ ~

The club really wasn’t as bad as Louis was hoping it would be. He hoped maybe it would be boring and a plain old metaphor for how he pictured the inside of Grimmy’s mind, but in reality it was lively and fun. So Louis left the group as quick as he could (Perrie and Dani had joined them, so the couples were making him nauseous) and made his way to the bar.

He ordered a generic beer and settled on one of the stools of the bar, waiting patiently for one of his friends to get drunk enough for him to have an excuse to take them home. Pretty soon (three beers later to be exact) however, he was joined at the bar by an uncharacteristically concerned looking Nick Grimshaw.

Louis ignored him while he ordered his own expensive drink (something that sounded French and basically Louis wanted to slap the pompousness out of him) and looked down at the label of his own, normal drink.

But then, after a couple minutes of sitting next to each other and not saying a thing, Grimmy reached out and petted Louis’ arm, clutching it lightly, to get his attention.

“Louis? How, um… what was with you this morning?” Grimmy asked, not letting go of Louis’ arm.

Louis shook him off and took a sip of his beer. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Grimmy rolled his eyes (typical). “You were so quiet and didn’t go along with any of my banter like you normally do.”

Louis looked down at his feet and took another sip, suddenly really needing to be drunk. “I’m fine. Why do you care anyway?”

Grimmy sighed and looked out at the dance floor where Harry and Niall were dancing (quite off beat, Louis noted). “I know you and Harry have been having some problems lately. And today only confirmed that. You know he hasn’t been spending much time with me either.”

“But doesn’t the great Nicholas Grimshaw have plenty of other interesting and amazing friends to hang out with?” Louis asked with his normal snarky tone.

“Louis that’s not really my point.” Grimmy shook his head and stepped into Louis’ space. He was tall enough to look down at the boybander and Louis found it sort of… hot. _Wait what? Nick Grimshaw is annoying and most certainly not hot._ Maybe it was time for Louis to quit drinking. Grimmy seemed to think so as well, because now he was grabbing Louis’ drink right out of his hands and setting it on the table behind him.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Louis snapped, sounding like a child.

Grimmy smirked at him and picked up his hands. They looked so small compared to the older radio host’s. In fact, Grimmy’s hands were huge and they practically swallowed Louis’. And now Louis was imagining all the other things Grimmy could be doing with them. Okay, yes it was good that he took his drink. Grimmy pulled Louis close to him so he could whisper in his ear.

“Dance with me?” Louis’ eyes widened at the question and his mouth dropped open. Grimmy just asked him to dance? Why the hell does he want to dance with him? He hates Louis.

Louis used both hands to push the older man back from him and he stared with a scowl on his face. “Grimmy, what are you on about?”

Grimmy nodded his head like he knew why Louis was shocked but he didn’t back off. “First off, call me Nick. Boys I like call me Nick. And second, I’ll say it again, dance with me.”

This time it wasn’t even a question. He was telling Louis to dance with him. And did he just say he liked him? What was Louis even drinking that caused these hallucinations? Either way, Louis gasped out an “Okay,” And Nick quickly lead them to the dance floor.

Harry and Niall had disappeared into the mass of people, so nobody even knew Louis was going to dance with Nick. And wow, could that man dance. He spun Louis around and pulled his back close to his own chest. He swayed their hips together with the music and both of them seemed to stop breathing at the closeness.

For the first couple seconds of dancing Louis wasn’t able to smile. His eyebrows were knotted together and his lips were shut tight and he was just thinking about how this even happened and how maybe it wasn’t actually happening.

Eventually though a little voice in Louis’ mind told him that Nick was just being decent and he was really good at this dancing thing, (and honestly so was Louis) so he should just have fun dammit. And Louis let himself go and feel the music. He closed his eyes, let out a deep breath, and turned so he could face Nick. The older man’s eyes once again had that mystery emotion and now Louis was sure it was hopeful. Which opened a lot more doors of thought that Louis really didn’t want to think about right now.

He slid his hands up Nick’s chest and shoulders and then down the older man’s arms until they stopped on his large hands. He pulled the hands behind his back, making Nick get the message and open them to completely cover his back and hold on. Louis then settled his own arms behind Nick’s neck before pulling forward so they could grind together.

Their hips began moving together again, but now Louis felt different. As he stared up into the excited eyes of the man he could have sworn he did not like, Louis felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Louis felt alive and certainly not alone. Because Nick looked at him like he really wanted him and like he loved being this close to him.

And then Nick started glancing down at Louis’ lips, which he had unconsciously started biting when the music had picked up and their crotches rubbed together in a very unexpectedly good way. Now Louis could be very sure that maybe Nick never disliked him or at least saw something new in him, because he was pretty sure the older one was not only pretty hard under his jeans but he was leaning in to kiss him.

So Louis closed his eyes and let him. And wow, that man could kiss. At the first touch of lips Louis could tell this was different. Because Nick’s lips not only fit his better than anyone, but they felt better than anyone else. They were soft to the touch but the actual kiss was rough and fast.

When Louis pulled back (because he had a feeling Nick didn’t want to) he ran a finger over his lips, almost as if that would confirm that what just happened wasn’t some sort of weird dream. But when he looked back up and Nick and saw, for the first time, a genuine smile directed at him, Louis gasped and let go completely.

“What am I doing?” Louis asked, not really anyone but himself. He closed his eyes and backed away from Nick, who looked heart broken. He turned from the crushed man and pushed his way through the dancing bodies, not wanting to face what had just happened.

He ended up not stopping and ran right out of the crowded club into the cold night. He kept going until he hit a bench just outside the doors and sat down. He checked the time on his phone. 3:00 in the morning. It didn’t even feel like he had been out that long.

“Louis!” the moping boy looked up from his screen and found that Nick had actually followed him all the way there. “W-why did you run out on me? Weren’t you having fun?”

“You kissed me.” He said it so quietly, he wasn’t even sure Nick would hear. He did.

Nick’s whole demeanor dropped at his words and he slumped down next to him. “I thought… I thought you wanted to. You seemed like you wanted to. I’m sorry.”

Louis ran his fingers through his hair and took several deep breaths. He stood up and took a couple steps away from the bench, but this time Nick stayed. “Don’t apologize dammit! I just… don’t get it. You don’t even like me.”

“When have I ever actually said that though?” Nick asked.

Louis opened his mouth, but then shut it. He actually couldn’t even think of a time when Nick explicitly said he didn’t like him. Nick annoyed the hell out of him at every turn but he did with an amused smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. “But… but you… you always argue with me.”

Nick nodded but not in a way that was agreeing with him. “I like to think of it as banter. You get really cute when I frustrate you. And I know you get such joy from frustrating me right back.”

“Why did you kiss me?” Louis demanded to know.

Nick shrugged and stood up. “You’re lonely. You may find this as a shock but I’m also lonely. Admittedly I’ve been attracted to you since Harry first dragged your sulky face into my radio show, and I have caught you staring at me plenty of times, so I just figured we could be lonely together.”

Louis snorted. “What? Do you wanna fuck me or something?”

“If the night leads to that…” Nick sneered.

Now it was Louis’ turn to roll his eyes. “I’m not going to fuck you Nick. I’ve got actual standards thank you very much.”

“You brought it up Princess.” Nick stepped back into Louis’ space (he really liked to do that didn’t he?) but this time he didn’t touch him. “At least let me take you to breakfast. It is 3 in the morning after all.”

Louis looked down at his phone one more time and read 3:15, he almost felt obligated to correct Nick, but instead he just sighed loudly and agreed. “Fine. Breakfast,”

“Breakfast.”

“And nothing else.”

“And nothing else.” Nick smiled and took Louis’ hand leading them away from the club. “Wonder what’s open at 3 in the morning?”

~ ~ ~

As it turns out, nothing at all was open at 3 in the morning for breakfast and they ended up going back to Nick’s flat and failing terribly at making eggs. So they settled for probably stale cereal and sat across from each other at Nick’s table.

“Your cereal is shit.” Louis said before shoving another spoonful into his mouth.

Nick didn’t seem to mind the jab, in fact he picked up a spoonful and put it right back down. “Well, I’m not really home for breakfast enough to eat it when it isn’t shit, am I?”

Louis cocks his eye brow and nods his head in agreement. “Guess not.”

They don’t do much talking to each other during the visit. Mostly just look at the person across from them and wonder how this situation even happened. Nick is much more open with his excitement, however, as he can’t wipe this shit eating grin off his face whenever Louis makes eye contact with him.

Eventually, Louis’ eyes start to drop and not because the conversation is boring, because for once it isn’t, but because he is so fucking exhausted. He pushed the cereal bowl away moments ago and is now openly ogling the man in front of him, questioning his sanity, because he knows he is checking him out at this point.

Who could blame him though? Nick is actually a very handsome hipster snob. And Louis does have needs that haven’t been fulfilled in a very long time… But Louis didn’t have time to worry about a random hook up or booty call and the whole _‘Oh does he have feelings for me or not?’_ sort of ideal. He isn’t even sure he likes Nick that way yet.

“I really should be going then.” Louis yawned, slinking out of his seat and immediately tripping over his feet and onto Nick’s floor.

The older man quickly jumped from his own seat and helped Louis off of the floor. “I really don’t think you are going anywhere this morning Lou. Come on love, you can sleep in my room.”

He picked Louis up bridal style and had the younger boy been more awake his heart probably would have stopped at the strength and control he demonstrated. Nick carried him to his bedroom and laid him down on the bed, but before he could leave Louis whispered in his sleepy state.

“Stay here with me?”

And Nick thought he looked so adorable trying to keep his eyes open but the rest of his body was curled up like a kitten, so he just couldn’t say no.

And maybe in the afternoon when they really woke up, Louis was a little worried at first but decided that waking up next to Nick was the most comfortable and un-alone he had felt in a while. And maybe when, a month after that night, Nick asked Louis to be his official boyfriend, Louis jumped right into his arms and didn’t even hesitate to say no.

~ ~ ~

The thing is, Louis doesn’t want anyone to make a fuss about them. He doesn’t want media attention and he doesn’t want to worry about the boys making fun of him. So he simply suggests that Nick and he not tell anyone about their relationship until they are settled and used to each other.

A feat that wasn’t easy to accomplish because the two of them were constantly getting on each other’s nerves. One of them would say something snooty or snarky and the other would get annoyed and question why they were even there, but then one of them would do something sweet and they would have mad, passionate sex and forgive each other.

Louis loved every second of it.

Even when Nick was annoying him, Louis loved it because Nick kept him on his toes. And to be honest Louis also loved to do things that would get Nick riled up, because it generally ended with Nick shutting him up by fucking him against the wall.

Louis certainly wasn’t lonely anymore. He hadn’t even been in his own flat for more than a few hours since he and Nick were together.

The boys hadn’t suspected a thing either. They hung out a few times, and sure they noticed how Louis was certainly a lot more spritely (glowing was the word Niall had said to Harry, but maybe they figured he was finally enjoying his independence. Louis had considered (quite a few times, really) just coming clean about Nick, but something stopped him every time.

On this particular time he was stopped because of Harry mentioning that he would be co-hosting the breakfast show the day before tour rehearsals started up again. He really didn’t want the whole morning to be turned into Harry and Nick exchanging embarrassing stories about him. No, thank you.

He at least decided he would tell them before they left for the tour. So basically he had two weeks.

~ ~ ~

“Shit mate! I’m sorry!” Harry scrambled to grab a towel so Nick could wipe himself off. Leave it to Harry to spill hot coffee all over his new pants and the bottom of his favorite green sweater. Nick wasn’t mad though, he already knew how clumsy Harry was.

“Stop fretting! You haven’t ruined the whole bloody show anything.” Nick chuckled as he cleaned himself as best he could. “See? Barely a spot there. Now what were you saying before the disaster of the century?”

“Oh, well tour rehearsals start tomorrow so I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later today. Maybe after the show is done?” Harry asked while putting on the gear.

Nick was about to say yes, until he remembered that he had his own, very beautiful, annoying popstar waiting for him back home.

“Probably shouldn’t. I’ve got something waiting for me at the flat.” Nick told him. Hoping Harry wouldn’t be able to tell why he said no. He did.

“You sly dog!” Harry was beaming at his friend. “Is it a new boyfriend or have you bought some sort of sex slave tied up waiting for you to shag?”

Nick nearly spit out his coffee. “How the fuck do you think of these things? It’s not a sex slave and I’m not answering anymore questions about it!”

“Alright, alright. But you will be telling me soon!” Harry promised.

Nick could only hope.

~ ~ ~

Generally speaking, Nick never did anything sweet or romantic for Louis unless they had been arguing. And they hadn’t had a real good argument for two weeks, they had been sticking to small spats and fast, but fun, make up sex. However, Louis was about to be very busy and then he would be off on tour. Nick already knew he would miss the little twat.

So he did something very out of character and bought Louis a bouquet of flowers before he got home. He didn’t even care that Louis would probably be suspicious of the random act of kindness; because he still knew Louis would love it.

He opened the door to his flat as quiet as possible and tip-toed into the house. He had a feeling Louis would still be asleep and he was right, because when he creaked the door open to peak in the bedroom, the sight he found was adorable.

Louis often was, though.

He was sprawled out on his stomach in the middle of the bed with the duvet kicked to the edge and the sheet only covering his bum and one of his legs. He is pretty much naked but Nick can see a pair of black boxers under the white sheets. His hair was messy and spread over his eyes that were shut lightly, his long eyelashes settled against his cheeks.

Absolutely adorable.

It was times like this, when Nick could just look and appreciate Louis’ beauty that he understood why he liked him so much and why he dated him in the first place. Because, sure, when Louis was awake he could be loud and unbearable, but then he had moments of complete peace and sweetness, and Nick knew the younger boy was insecure and needy, and he was happy to be the one that Louis needed. Who wouldn’t want to be that person for him?

Eventually though, Nick needed to touch him and not just stare. And he really wanted to give him the flowers. And then stay in bed all day. And probably not let him leave the next day.

(For the first time in his life Nick is very, very whipped and it scares him to death but then he looks at his Louis and he really doesn’t care. Which is sort of the definition isn’t it?)

Nick sits on the side of the bed and bends down to kiss Louis’ shoulder blade. “Boo? I brought you something special.”

Of course even the prospect of a gift wasn’t enough to get Louis to do more than grumble and turn his head away from Nick. “ _Sleepy time_ …”

Nick sighed and put the flowers on the pillow in front of Louis’ face before getting up and walking out to the kitchen to make some tea. (And maybe every time he was alone in the kitchen he would look at the table where he and Louis first shared his stale cereal and he carried Louis to the bed for the first time, and maybe he blushes and smiles like an idiot, because that was a very good night for him.) He pours two cups of tea for them and waits at his breakfast nook for Louis to wake himself up.

After a couple of minutes Louis came in (still in just his boxers) smelling the flowers and smiling through his tired eyes. “I sure hope these aren’t apology flowers, because you haven’t even done anything wrong Nicholas.”

Nick just laughed and lifted up Louis’ tea for him to take. “Not at all. Perhaps I wanted to spoil my already spoiled boyfriend.”

Louis rolled his eyes, but leaned across the nook to kiss him anyway. “I love them.”

He took the tea walked around Nick and opened each of the cupboard doors until he found a vase to put the flowers in. He then turned back to Nick and wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed the back of his neck. But he raised his eyebrows at the stains on Nick’s pants and sweater.

“What happened there?” He asked lightly touching the stain on Nick’s leg.

“Harry was being an idiot and spilled some coffee, no big deal.” He turned in his seat and pulled Louis between his legs by his hips. “What do you want to do on our last not-busy day together? Stay in? Go out? I’ll do whatever you want.”

Louis bit his lip and ran his hands up Nick’s chest settled them on his shoulders. “Hmm, I can think of a few things, and none of them require leaving this flat.”

~ ~ ~

Hours later their clothes were strewn all over the floor and Nick was starting to wonder what witchcraft had caused him have the libido of a sixteen year old. He wasn’t exactly twenty one like his boyfriend anymore. Not that he was complaining. He hadn’t had that good of sex in a long time.

Louis was in that state where he was exhausted but not quite able to fall asleep, so he laid on his stomach pushed his face into the pillow. They were sated and sweaty and every time Nick ran his fingers up Louis’ back he shivered and the skin would grow little goose bumps.

And Nick looked down at Louis’ sharp cheekbones and thinks they would so much better with a blush stuck on them for the rest of the night, and maybe his eyes should be tearing up and bloodshot (it’s not meant to be cruel, it’s just that whenever Nick works him up enough, Louis will get so turned on and desperate and Nick thinks it’s the prettiest Louis ever looks. And maybe Nick really wants to make this the night Louis thinks about while he’s on tour and relying on his own hand to satisfy his needs). So he bends down and kisses the smooth skin of his shoulders, then the center of his back, and he stops just above the curve of his arse.

Louis opened one of his eyes and looked down at his boyfriend. “Nick, please don’t tell me you’re ready to go again this soon. I thought you were supposed to be old and slow.”

“What can I say? You keep me young.” Nick said before biting into Louis’ lower back, making him squeak and sit up.

“I mean it Nick. I don’t think I can go again.” Louis gasped as he pushed Nick away from him and turned to sit against the headboard.

Nick sat up on his knees and pulled Louis’ own legs apart so he could settle between them. “Come on baby. We have tonight and then you’re gonna be bust with rehearsals and next thing you know, you’re off on tour and we won’t see each other at all.”

“But I’m so tired!” Louis wined.

“This was your idea!” Nick massaged up and down Louis’ calves and batted his eyelashes at him (the eyelashes thing always worked on him when Louis did it). “I promise it will be good.”

Louis sighed loudly. “Grab another condom then.” Nick immediately rolled over to grab one out of the box on the bedside table. Louis kept talking as he retrieved it. “But we are going straight to sleep after this round! I will not be late tomorrow because I overslept!”

~ ~ ~

Obviously this could all come down to being Louis’ fault. It’s sort of like being the person in a movie who has everything ruined for them and they say ‘At least it isn’t raining’ and sure enough it rains. Because in the most cliché way possible, Louis overslept.

Of course when he first wakes up, Louis doesn’t even remember that he has somewhere to go because Nick’s arm is around his waist and his breaths are blowing warm against the back of his neck and Louis really loves waking up this way. He scoots himself back into Nick’s embrace more and closes his eyes, his mind not even registering the distant pang of his phone’s alarm going off.

Until he does hear it.

And then he is springing from the bed and shouting profanities, and Nick is startled from his slumber, thinking someone has broken in or something. But then he just laughs at Louis frantically going around the room and throwing on any clothes he finds.

“—AND I KNEW THAT THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN! SO HELP ME GOD NICHOLAS WE WILL NEVER HAVE SEX AGAIN IF I AM IN TROUBLE FOR BEING LATE! DON’T JUST SIT THERE LAUGHING AT ME!”

But Nick can’t really help but chuckle at his boyfriend yelling and looking like a frustrated toddler. (Nick likes to think if they met when they were preschool age he would have pushed Louis around on the playground just to make him angry because it would be so cute and then he remembers that’s sort of what they do now.)

“Baby, you’re going to be fine.” The older man says nonchalantly.

Louis’ eyes look at him through an intense fire with an expression that Nick has come to know as his ‘ _Are you fucking kidding me right now?_ ’ look. “Shut your whore mouth Nicholas. You knew if we had sex again I would be too tired to hear my alarm. You knew it and now I am late and I can’t find my goddamn shirt and I really need to go because those fucking twats are going to ask questions and I am in no mood to tell them anything yet.”

“I think my favorite part of your little speech just then was the part where you said I had a ‘ _whore mouth_ ’.” Nick said smirking at Louis’ loud, stress-induced groan. “Just take my green sweater that’s right by your feet. And give me a kiss before you go.”

Louis throws on the sweater (that is much too big for him) and quite begrudgingly climbs back onto the bed to kiss Nick one more time before leaving.

~ ~ ~

In the end Louis is really only half an hour late so maybe the yelling was a bit extreme. And the boys don’t even question his arrival time; they just leave it up to ‘ _Oh Louis still can’t function without someone responsible breathing down his neck_ ’ but he doesn’t want to raise suspicion by correcting them. (And if they noticed his current top was fitting him quite right, they didn’t say anything.)

Harry is looking at him strangely though. His eyes haven’t lost their inquisitive hold on Louis since he got there. Almost like something about him is bothering Harry but he can’t quite place just what it is. In any case, Louis thinks maybe he should address it because the staring is making him uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong Hazza?” Louis asks.

Harry tilts his head and scans over Louis’ body, still looking for the thing that is off about him. “I’m not sure…”

And Louis so not comfortable, so he starts messing with Nick’s sweater by rolling the too long sleeves up and tugging at the bottom. It isn’t until he starts messing with the stupid coffee stain that realization dawns on Harry.

The stain.

The stain on this green sweater that is obviously too big for Louis, that just so happens to be in the exact same place that Harry spilled coffee on non-other than Nick Grimshaw’s surprisingly similar green the morning before. What an odd coincidence.

Thinking back, Harry really shouldn’t even be surprised, because of course it’s Louis that Nick was hiding. And of course Louis was hiding Nick as well. Because Harry was now determined to never let either of them hear the end of this. That was probably why they were hiding in the first place.

So Harry simply smirked. “Nice sweater Louis.”

Shit.

He so knows. He just saw Nick in this sweater, so of course he fucking knows. “Oh…um, thanks.”

Harry looked over to where the other boys were messing around with the band and then proceeded to step closer to Louis with a shit eating grin. “So, how long then?”

Fuck. No point in hiding it now. “Three months I guess?”

“Shit Louis!” Harry said it as quiet as possible, but still threw his hands in the air. “How the fuck have you guys been keeping this from me for three months?”

Louis shrugged and looked over at Niall. “You’ve been sort of busy for a while now. It wasn’t actually that difficult.”

Harry let out a guilty sigh and pulled Louis in for a hug. “I’m sorry. I guess I haven’t been the best of friends since Niall and I got together huh?”

Louis squeezed him tightly back. “No, but I forgive you.”

“I’m happy for you guys though!” Harry said excitedly. “How did it even happen?”

Louis laughed lightly, because he still isn’t even sure of that himself. “I don’t even know Harry. I was lonely in that empty flat of ours and Nick was lonely missing his younger cool friend, so I suppose we thought it was better to be lonely together.”

Harry nodded. “I can understand that. So, we should probably get to rehearsing then! And don’t worry; your secret is safe with me.” He winked.

So Louis followed Harry over to the rest of the group and as he looked at his friends he saw how together and not at all lonely they were. And he realized that he probably wouldn’t feel that way ever again, whether it was here with them, or back at his new home with Nick.

And he never stepped foot in an empty house again.

**_FIN_ **


End file.
